Review: Guy Ritchie’s Stylized ‘The Gentlemen’ Is A Guilty Pleasure
Guy Ritchie’s latest flick “The Gentlemen” is everything that put him on the map in 1998 with “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.” That’s to say, his new film features a lot of characters, a fast moving story, and that grimey gutsy film making that is a style all his own. <100% Spoiler Free>
The Story (Spoiler Free)
The story centers on a crime empire built on weed, that is either for sale or ready for take over, depending on what side you’re on.
The Players
Owner and ready to retire from the drug game is the king of the jungle, Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) and his chop shop and smartly dressed wife Rosalind Pearson (Michelle Dockey).
Negotiating to buy the empire is Mathew (Jeremy Strong, HBO’s “Succession”) who thinks being the king of the jungle can be had with the almighty dollar (or British Pound) and doesn’t quite accept that there’s more to being the king than just being rich. Plenty of gang lieutenants to go around including Ray (Charlie Hunnam), and rival gang member Dry Eye (Henry Golding) who are in competition but not on the same side.
Reporting from the sidelines, literally, is greedy tabloid reporter, Fletcher (Hugh Grant) who just wants to get out of the game rich.
The calm and strategic Coach (Colin Farrell) who runs a bunch of young wannabee internet stars who go around filming their crimes and posting them to social media.
Throw all these enigmatic characters together in a Guy Ritchie film and you get a seriously stylized British version of Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and the recent Martin Scorsese “The Irishman.” Some might say that’s a bad thing but I am of a different mind set. It’s true that there might even be some scenes that harken directly to those films, but Ritchie exceeds in different ways that make the comparison meaningless.
Tangled story lines that mesh together in fantastical ways in a confident script from Ritchie (who wrote and directed) featuring some of the best cuss words to have ever graced the screen. There’s something to be said that the British may be known for having perfect manners, but they can really throw an insult. Ritchie incorporates colorful language throughout.
“The Gentlemen” is both story and character driven. Ritchie may have a fast moving story, but he never forgets that the characters hold the whole thing together. With that in mind, the casting is brilliant and every character gives a truly fantastic performance, especially from Michelle Dockery, Hugh Grant, and Matthew McConaughey.
The Verdict
“The Gentlemen” may follow in the footsteps of Guy Ritchie’s early films like “Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrel” and “Snatch,” but it’s also contemporary tying in themes like the inevitable legalization of marijuana. With dynamic and super stylish characters that constantly move the story forward including the ingenious choice to have Fletcher narrate, “The Gentlemen” is easily the most entertaining film out this weekend. Fast paced, without losing sight of character and story, Guy Ritchie delivers a solid gangster film set in modern times. I am totally ready to watch “The Gentlemen” a second time. That speaks volumes to Richie’s ever increasing talent.
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